Address Collection - How to Make Sense of Your Data
Address collection may seem like an overwhelming task. It's important to collect clean data, whether you're collecting information for weddings, holiday cards, or even for parties.
Businesses can save time and money by using legitimate addresses. Incorrect addresses can result in returned mail, extra fees and missed opportunities. Address verification tools can help reduce costs by ensuring addresses are entered correctly.
ArcGIS Solutions for State and Local Government
Address collection is vital for local government and is a key component of geospatial data management. However many governments are faced with difficulties with managing authoritative address repositories. They need simple workflows that aid in capturing the physical location of an address earlier in the process of development and standard map tools to inform decision-makers and the general public about the quality of their addresses, and tools for sharing authoritative addresses with other agencies.
To meet these needs local government employees are employing Esri solutions. These pre-built maps and applications are designed to work with specific workflows, which makes it easy for local governments of all sizes and levels of geospatial knowledge to use them for better efficiency and greater insight.
According to Scott Oppmann, State and Local Government Solutions Team Lead, Esri, solutions are organized into categories that represent "the most commonly-used requirements in the state and local governments." To view the complete list of solutions available click here.
For example, a solution known as Maintaining an Authoritative Address Repository contains a series of tasks to help you create a site address layer from a list of verified proposed sites collected through an online form or in the field with Address Field Inventory. These feature layers can be used to create USNG Coordinates and an address for mailing. The solution allows you to divide a street at a particular point, calculate the municipal boundaries, and update address attributes in the master road table.
Managing Address Field Operations is another Esri solution that can be used to help address authority staff gather inaccurate or missing information from both external and internal stakeholders. It lets office staff assign a task to their field workers to make use of the address crowdsourcing app on their mobile devices. They can then check the addresses they submit and take note of any new addresses they find while out in the field. The information is automatically entered into the appropriate database tables to be processed and then published.
The solution allows office workers to assign tasks with the option of confirming existing set address data using an exact accuracy level. This allows them to identify errors, like duplicate addresses or mismatched addresses in the database. This information can be imported into the master database to improve the quality of the data and make it more accurate.
Reverse Geocode Geoprocessing Tool
Whether you're looking for the exact location of a certain business or just want to determine which region is the most lucrative, reverse geocoding can help you understand your data. Many mobile apps, such as Uber or Lyft, use reverse geocoding to transform raw GPS coordinates into something drivers can read. Retail chains use reverse geocoding to learn about their customers' buying habits. Urban planners are able to connect address data with the density of people to determine where to construct public facilities.
Reverse Geocode is a tool that converts points within a feature class into addresses. It does this by searching for the nearest intersection or address in relation to distance. It can be used to reverse-geocode a single or multiple points. Its output is organized and ready for integration into other tools and systems.
It allows both standard and custom formats of address data, including the standardized attributes X and Y of the Point Address feature, and the identifiers for POIs (Point of Interest). You can also specify the location type of the geometry that matches it. It could be a routing area that is an area on the street that can be used for routing, or the rooftop or parcel centroid of an address.
You can also make use of the tool to create composite locators by linking together two or more locators. If it fails to find the address with your local data, then the locator will fallback on ArcGIS World Geocoding.
Reverse geocoding is an expensive process, especially when you're working with huge quantities of coordinates. Esri has a free usage limit of about 200 thousand requests per month. If you exceed this, you'll incur charges. You can also buy a service to convert coordinates into addresses in a masse.
It's crucial to lastly to confirm the accuracy and completeness of any address information you receive from your customers using reverse geocoding. This can be accomplished by using an address verification API that's CASS certified, such as PostGrid. This will ensure the addresses that you use for your direct mail campaigns can be delivered and to your customers.
Data Assistant Add-in
The Data Assistant add-in contains a set of tools designed to assist you in moving data from one database to another with an entirely different data structure. These tools can be used to complete many tasks, like merging multiple source fields into a single target field or splitting a string into several fields to be used as targets.
Installing the Data Assistant is required before you can use it. Click Start and select Control Panel, then Add or Remove programs. Uninstall Microsoft Data Assistant 1.0 by following the steps on screen.
Once the Data Assistant addin is installed, it can be configured to create a source/target configuration file. You can then load or change data by using this file. The Data Mapping tool includes a variety of ways to convert data to different formats and handling special characters.
To learn more about the Data Assistant add-in, including how it can help you with your address collection requirements, read How to use the Data Assistant add-in. This guide explains how to make use of the Data Assistant add in and how to perform processes to collect parcel data and update data on parcels and populate the community layer.
Data Validation Tool
A reliable tool for verifying addresses is an effective tool that helps companies maintain accuracy of their data and operational efficiency. It ensures that the correct address is used for mail, invoices go to the correct customer, and marketing campaigns are sent to the intended target audience. When choosing a validation tool pick one that provides seamless integration into your business processes and comprehensive country coverage. Be aware of the pricing structure and select tools that provide a good return on investment.
If you are collecting addresses on handwritten forms at a retailer store, through digital inputs at checkout online or via integrated data that is flowing into CRM systems, precise initial data entry is crucial to reducing shipping errors and return, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. This is more than using a traditional postal code or ZIP code lookup; it requires thorough address collection and verification.
This process begins with an advanced data parsing tool that breaks down an address into its various components, including the street name, city name, and postal code. The tool then compares these pieces against commercial databases to validate their accuracy. It then standardizes an address to meet the global postal standards. For 주소모음 extended forms into standard abbreviations or capitalization.
The address is then geocoded in order to confirm its location. This is crucial for businesses who operate globally. It allows them calculate shipping costs in a precise manner, and also to provide transparency to their customers. This decreases the chance of costly delays resulting from incomplete or inaccurate information. A robust geocoding API can aid businesses in complying with international shipping laws and avoid issues with customs.
After the address is verified, it is automatically updated in CRM systems and enterprise resource planning systems to guarantee that every customer contact, shipment, or service delivery is based on accurate information. A precise address can also streamline the logistical side of operations by simplifying logistics and procurement processes, thereby saving time and money.